Exercise · Legs and glutes
Barbell deadlift
The deadlift is a big strength exercise with a bar that targets your glutes and hamstrings, with support from your quadriceps, lower back, traps and forearms. It’s a key basic lift if you want to build strength and feel more solid in everyday tasks.
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Lower back
- Traps
- Forearms
Doable at all 76 gyms GoSet follows
The essentials
- Bar over mid-foot.
- Flat back, push the floor away to stand up.
- Keep the bar close to your legs.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Glutes · Hamstrings
- Secondary
- Quadriceps · Lower back · Traps · Forearms
How to do it
- Set the bar over your mid-foot, with your feet under the bar about hip to shoulder width.
- Bend at your hips and knees to reach the bar with your hands just outside your legs, keeping a flat back and your chest up.
- Take a deep breath, grab the bar tight and keep it close to your legs right from the start.
- Push the floor away with your feet to stand up, keeping your back flat and the bar close to your shins and thighs until you’re fully upright.
- At the top, stand tall without leaning back, then start the descent by pushing your hips back and controlling the bar close to your legs.
- Lower the bar to the floor with control, let it settle, reset your starting position and go into your next rep.
Common mistakes
Bar too far from the feet
Instead : Always start with the bar over your mid-foot and think about keeping it close to your legs the whole time. If you feel the bar drifting away, correct it on the next rep by bringing it back toward you.
Rounding the back off the floor
Instead : Before you pull, take a second to lift your chest, fix your eyes on a point in front of you and feel your back flat. If your back keeps rounding, reduce the weight and focus on holding a solid position.
Yanking the bar off the floor
Instead : Instead of jerking the bar, build tension in your body, push into the floor and let the bar glide up. Aim for a controlled ascent, around a couple of seconds, especially when you’re learning.
Leaning back at the top
Instead : At the top, just stand tall with hips and knees straight, without driving your hips forward or over-arching. Think “stand straight” instead of “squeeze harder” at the end.
Coach tips
- Control your breathing: big breath before you lift, keep tension during the way up, then breathe out gently as you lower the bar or between reps.
- Think more about pushing the floor away with your feet than pulling with your back. That helps you feel your glutes and hamstrings more.
- Use a controlled tempo: strong but smooth on the way up, and about 2–3 seconds on the way down while keeping the bar close to your legs.
- Start with a load you can handle easily so you can practice your bar path and body position, then add weight step by step.
Variations
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
- Smith deadlift
- Smith Romanian deadlift
Sets and reps
The deadlift is often placed at the start of a strength workout, when you’re fresh, with a few controlled sets. Many people use it as their main heavy exercise to train glutes and hamstrings.
Equipment
Alternatives for the same muscles
Log your Deadlift sets with GoSet
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Common questions
Where should the bar be at the start of a deadlift?
Set the bar over your mid-foot. If you look down, it should line up roughly with the middle of your laces. From there, keep it close to your legs through the whole movement.
How can I protect my lower back when deadlifting?
Keep a flat back, chest up and focus on pushing the floor away instead of pulling only with your lower back. If you feel pain in your lower back, stop the exercise and talk to a professional.
I keep hitting my shins with the bar, is that normal?
The bar should stay close to your legs, so light contact is normal. If you’re banging your shins hard, adjust your start position a bit and control the bar path so it stays close without slamming into you.
What if deadlifting from the floor bothers me?
If the floor version doesn’t feel right, you can try a dumbbell Romanian deadlift, a Smith deadlift, a Smith Romanian deadlift, a machine deadlift or a cable pull-through.